Beer shotgunning, mix tapes, skiing, professional assassinations: All from one '80s star

Leave it to John Cusack to teach you everything you need to as a young male growing up in the glorious days of the '80s. And yes, I seriously still occasionally shotgun a beer -- The Sure Thing style -- lifting the empty, still-cold can high in the air afterward to salute my '80s hero.

Seriously. Look at the best movies of Cusack's career and you can learn a trade from any of them.

THE SURE THING: Sure, the beer thing. But also how to woo women. (Buy her a rose!) Actually, you learn how NOT to woo women. (Don't admit you're going across the country to bed a girl you never met.)

BETTER OFF DEAD: How to ski ... sorta. But more importantly, how to fix a Camaro and grill up a tasty Pig Burger.

SAY ANYTHING: Kick boxing, sport of the future.

GROSSE POINTE BLANK: How to kill the president of Paraguay ... with a fork.

HIGH FIDELITY: How to make the perfect mix tape. And how to make the worst decision of your life (aka passing up Lisa Bonet for Iben Hjejle. Dude! What ... were ... you ... thinking?)

I could go on and on, but I won't. Because frankly I'm out of ideas. And because we're going to cover all these bases again in this week's Stuck in the '80s podcast: Our salute to the best (and worst) John Cusack movies of all time. (Just a spoiler here, but Journey of Natty Gann didn't make it on either list.)

About this blog

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times correspondent Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to big hair.